I've been noticing an increasingly stale/foul smell in the cabin lately. It wasn't hard to trace it down to the A/C units. First, a rant: why does Cruise-Air (and it's competitors, for that matter) think it's a good idea to let their units sit on top of 2 inches of stagnant water? The condenser assy. is less than 12 inches across and an 2-3 thick, but the pan to collect the inevitable condensate that drops from it, covers something like 6 square feet! If that wasn't dumb enough, the drain for this pain is mounted in the SIDE of the pan – guaranteeing that water will ALWAYS be present. SeaRay apparently thought this setup was too clever, so they positioned the fwd unit such that the drain hose is on the side of the pan AND facing to port, so unless you can manage a 30 degree list before coming onto plane, the condensate will spill over and wind up in the bilge. (not the actual bilge, but the fwd hold – where the toaster oven is kept. Oh well, I needed an excuse to buy the stainless toaster oven. It makes better pizza…)
So after 10 years of sitting in their own filth, I'm resigned to the fact that the units have to come out and be thoroughly cleaned.
How? I've wiped the dust and dirt from the top surfaces, but the pans are are rust-colored and cruddy and the tubes and plumbing on the units are covered in a nasty black moldy growth.
This can't be a unique problem, right? Has anyone tackled it without removing the unit from the boat? Should I / can I hose it down, or will I have to use an old toothbrush to get into the crevices? What cleaning solution would you recommend?
So after 10 years of sitting in their own filth, I'm resigned to the fact that the units have to come out and be thoroughly cleaned.
How? I've wiped the dust and dirt from the top surfaces, but the pans are are rust-colored and cruddy and the tubes and plumbing on the units are covered in a nasty black moldy growth.
This can't be a unique problem, right? Has anyone tackled it without removing the unit from the boat? Should I / can I hose it down, or will I have to use an old toothbrush to get into the crevices? What cleaning solution would you recommend?